Airlines and fear

On Thursday 17th July 2014, Malaysia Airlines was hit with another tragedy. This year has not been a good one for the said airline with the loss of MH370 and MH17.

What astounds me is people proclaiming they would never fly with Malaysia Airlines – no matter if they have flown with MA before or not.

It could have happened to any other airline. Apparently Emirates, Etihad and Singapore Airlines were on the same flight path as MH17 – only a couple of hours behind. It was unfortunate that MH17 met its fate – and it has rocked the world.

Malaysia Airlines is already struggling – it might go under, or be re-launched under a new brand…who knows what will really happen to the airline if people keep on giving into their fear and boycotting.

Someone said on Facebook that we could have boycotted Toyota for all accidents their vehicles have been involved in. There’s no point in losing faith in an airline.

A few years ago, Tiger Air Australia was grounded for approximately 5 weeks because of safety concerns and they lost millions of dollars. Did I lose my faith with Tiger? No. I’ve flown with them few times in the last couple of years, and they’ve never failed me…only with their luggage costs, but that’s not a big deal anyway. I would still fly with them, nevertheless.

People complain about airlines and saying they’d never fly with those. Me? I don’t give two shits, as long they’re able to get me from A to B then I’ll be a happy camper. As for long-haul international flights, I do need to be a little fussy as I would require the airline to provide captions on their entertainment system.

I flew with Korean Air to Europe last year, and while the Hollywood blockbusters provided on their entertainment system was not captioned (to my dismay!) yet I was happy enough with the selection of foreign films…but that doesn’t stop me from putting the said airline on my preferred list – their service is amazing so that’s a priority.

I’ve never flown with Malaysia Airlines, but I intend to in the near future. From what I know, my mother’s side of the family prefers to fly with the said airline.

I shared this on my personal Facebook after first learning about the disappearance of MH370:

Malaysia Airlines is one of the most safest airlines in the world. Their deadliest plane crash happened on 4 December 1977, which was hijacked. I learnt last night that my mother was supposed to be on that particular flight back to Kuala Lumpur from visiting her grandparents in Penang. The night before she was to fly out, her mother, who almost never changes plans once they’re made, called for some unknown reason and asked if she wanted to stay another week. Mum said yes and she was then re-booked on another flight for the following week.

That hasn’t stopped my relatives from continuing to fly with Malaysia Airlines.

If an Emirates flight was downed, would that stop you from flying with Emirates?

As a member of the travel community, I urge you not to give into your fear – media wants you to! – and continue supporting all airlines, no matter what has happened. Especially Malaysia Airlines – they need our support more than ever.

Thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones on MH17 and MH370.

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One comment on “Airlines and fear”

As an airline captain (and a licensed therapist) I have worked for over 30 years to treat fear of flying. See http://www.fearofflying.com

Though I would fly Malaysia Airlines if I needed to, I would do so recognizing that the dispatcher who routed the plane through dangerous airspace had a responsibility to certify – with his/her signature on a document – that the route had been thoroughly checked and could be used safely.

The dispatcher should have known that once a military aircraft was shot down in the airway at 21,000 feet that airlines at any altitude would be seen on the radar scope of a Buk missile battery. The dispatcher should have know that the people operating the missile battery had not been identified and thus could not be regarded as reliable or well-trained enough to distinguish a civilian from a military plane. The dispatcher should have know it was not safe to use that air route.

Every dispatcher of every airline that flew through the area after the military plane was shot down at 21,000 feet was, by certifying the route to be safe, guilty of a criminal act.